


Her Still Heart

by theoretically_moss



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Black Eagles Spoilers, Blue Lions Spoilers, F/F, slight memories of other timelines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 07:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20271847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoretically_moss/pseuds/theoretically_moss
Summary: Byleth had many regrets in her life, but the greatest of them all caused her to lose one who she cared for deeply. Every year, she goes to visit the one who allowed her heart to feel in hopes of experiencing that feeling once more.





	Her Still Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Another sad Edeleth fic from me, yet this time it's sadder. The idea came from me talking to a friend about how Byleth is a deity, so they're also probably immortal like Rhea and crew. Once again, I also thought about Byleth having memories of other timelines too. It hurt me to write this.

The same day every year, the archbishop would disappear. No one knew why or where to, but they always knew that she could never be found on the 22nd of the Garland Moon, only to reappear the next day. This year was no exception, as a woman with pastel green hair and striking green eyes stood alone in a cemetery. With the dark and gloomy weather that day, no one else dared stand outside, lest they get rained on. But the woman didn’t care, she had a promise to keep.

She stood in front of simple gravestone, hidden away as though it was desired to be forgotten by all. But she would not forget. She stared sadly at how poor a condition the grave was in. The name engraved on it was worn away by time and plants had grown over it from a lack of care. All the graves had been well kept except for this one.

She had known exactly why this was the case, and for the longest time, it infuriated her to no end. But now? Now it just made her sad. It would even make her heart ache, had it been possible for her heart to feel anything. She knelt down in front of the grave, moving to remove as much overgrowth as she could from the grave.

While some plants were easily pushed away, others had to be torn away, before the stone was cleared. Letting out a sigh, she dragged her hand along the surface of the stone, her vision blurring with tears. The woman picked up a bouquet of flowers she had brought and placed it on the grave as a sad smile crept onto her face.

“Happy birthday, Edelgard.”

With those words, her tears fell loose, staining the ground before the gravestone. No matter how long it had been, the pain still stung like a fresh wound. “It’s me, Byleth. I hope you haven’t forgotten me after all this time.”

Byleth closed her eyes as more tears flooded out. Her breathing became unsteady as she tried to let out a long sigh. The image she saw behind closed eyes terrified her. A woman turned demon, the only reminder of who she was being the distorted face sitting upon the monster’s shoulders. Anyone else who had experienced that image was long dead. But Byleth still remembered it clear as day, even all these years after the war. It ingrained itself in the back of her eyelids, never to disappear no matter how much she willed it gone. “I can’t believe I let this happen to you. I should...I wish…”

Her voice had come out broken with pain and regret. She tumbled over the words in her mouth as she broke out into a loud sob. Byleth dropped her head into her hands, letting out the tears she kept pent up for the past year. She raised her head back up to face the heavens. “It never should have been like this. I should have been there for you. Then...then you wouldn’t be gone and...” Byleth’s voice trailed off into a whisper. “I wouldn’t be alone.”

In truth, she was never alone. Like her, Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn lived lives without end. But they hardly felt like people she could rely on or call friends. They made Byleth’s heart feel cold and still. There was only one person who had ever changed that, but she lay dead beneath a grave.

Byleth held a hand to her chest. Her heart was still, forever unbeating. She never knew what it felt like to have a heartbeat or to feel the true emotions of the heart. But she had come close before. She remembered the times she would speak to Edelgard and her heart seemed to soar. Or the times when she fought the Emperor and her heart seemed to be crushed, a painful ache to remind her of what was and what could have been.

It had been so long since she felt those feelings. At first, whenever she visited the grave, she could feel a slight squeezing sensation in her heart. But with time, it disappeared. No longer did her heart feel. It was still, and would remain that way for all time. She could hardly remember what it felt like anymore. Every day, she regretted her decision to follow Dimitri more than the last.

She closed her eyes to see another image. Her and Edelgard bring their weapons down, striking a killing blow on Rhea. Becoming human, having her first heartbeat as she was held in Edelgard’s arms, the Emperor crying and laughing. Her hair and eyes back to their normal blue. Her hand in her Emperor’s, fingers laced together. A tender kiss shared between the two.

Byleth was envious of what could have been. She wished she could have shared those moments with Edelgard. But instead, she had to watch the one she had come to love turn into a demon. When given a chance of redemption, she watched as Edelgard did not accept and was impaled on Dimitri’s lance as a result. She watched the life drain from that beautiful face as the Emperor’s body slumped over into a lifeless heap.

She wanted to go back. To be near Edelgard and reassure her. She wanted to be there for her through it all and support her to the end. To guide her so she would not walk down the dark path Byleth had witnessed. This unending life was a punishment for her decision. To think, in an alternative life she could see, she was allowed the peace of death. Had she chosen Edelgard all that time ago, they could have lived their lives together before eventually dying by the hands of time. But here she was. Alone to wallow in her regrets.

She would remain there for quite some time, even when rain fell from the heavens. Only when the daylight faded did Byleth get up to leave. She gave one last sad glance at the grave. She had work to do as archbishop, but she could never forget what she had to do as Byleth.

“It was nice to see you, Edelgard. I promise to return next year.”


End file.
